acquire

American

[uh-kwahyuhr] / əˈkwaɪər /

verb (used with object)

acquired, acquiring

to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own.

to acquire property.
to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts.

to acquire learning.

Synonyms:

appropriate , attain , earn , win
Linguistics. to achieve native or nativelike command of (a language or a linguistic rule or element).
Military. to locate and track (a moving target) with a detector, as radar.

acquire British

/ əˈkwaɪə /

verb

(tr) to get or gain (something, such as an object, trait, or ability), esp more or less permanently

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does acquire mean? Acquire most commonly means to get, buy, or learn.Acquire has a lot of meanings that vary with context. Most of them refer to the act of getting something permanently. It has more specific meanings in linguistics and in the context of the military. It’s easy to misspell acquire as aquire, so don’t forget the c.Example: When the merger is complete, our company will have acquired its largest competitor.

Related Words

See get.

Other Word Forms

acquirability noun
acquirable adjective
acquirement noun
acquirer noun
preacquire verb
reacquire verb (used with object)
self-acquired adjective
unacquirable adjective
unacquired adjective
well-acquired adjective

Etymology

Origin of acquire

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin acquīrere “to add to one's possessions, acquire” ( ac- ac- + -quīrere, combining form of quaerere “to search for, obtain”); replacing late Middle English aquere, from Middle French aquerre, from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Targa Resources agreed to acquire Stakeholder Midstream, which provides natural gas gathering and processing services in the Permian Basin, for $1.25 billion in cash.

From The Wall Street Journal

In free agency, the team splashed out to acquire two new defensive tackles.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet he acquired a reputation as a dandy, a clever humorist and an intellectual showman, distinctly apolitical and seemingly a man of no convictions.

From Los Angeles Times

The U.S. currently has only two icebreakers in operation, both built last century, and in October signed a $6.1 billion deal with Finland to acquire 11 new ones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since July, the Coast Guard has acquired several hundred aerial drones and undersea and surface vessels.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023